


Prompt: Camping

by EssayOfThoughts



Series: MCU Maximoff Oneshots [53]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Camping, Codependency, Fluff, Gen, Team Bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-26
Updated: 2016-03-26
Packaged: 2018-05-29 07:31:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6364969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EssayOfThoughts/pseuds/EssayOfThoughts
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There is silence, and Steve watches Clint with a raised eyebrow.</p><p>“And you mean to tell me,” Clint says, “That you have never been camping. In addition to the fact that the twins have never been camping, and the fact that Vision, who isn’t even a month old has <i>obviously</i> never been camping.”</p><p>Steve looks Clint square in the eye and nods slowly. “Honestly,” he says, recapping his biro, “The first time I was ‘camping’ it was <i>war.</i> I don’t think that counts.”</p><p>Clint looks completely aghast. “Right,” he says, standing. “We are going camping. Team bonding exercise. We’re all going, I’ll bring the gear and find the place, you just get everyone to the coordinates on time.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Prompt: Camping

**Author's Note:**

> Written for a prompt on my tumblr, readable [Here](http://essayofthoughts.tumblr.com/post/141738294355/sure-i-dont-mind-changing-things-up-a-bot-the).

**i.**  
“You’ve _never_  been camping?” Clint asks aghast. “ _How?”_

He’s done this a few times; reacting over-dramatically to their admissions of never having played Pokemon, having seen certain cartoons, seen certain films, tried certain foods.

“We lived in a warzone,” Pietro points out. “It is not as though there was much that was new, and then we were on the streets.”

“The most camping we have done,” Wanda says, “Is when we stayed in the church for shelter.” The twins share a glance, moving in the eerie synchronicity that still spooks Clint slightly. Wanda shrugs. “We left the city once, for a trip when we were seven. That was it.”

“Right,” Clint says. “I’m talking to Cap.”

 

* * *

 

 **ii.**  
“Did you know,” Clint starts, waltzing into the room with only the most cursory of knocks. “That the twins have never gone camping in their lives?”

Steve looks up from his paperwork and shrugs. “And? Is that unusual?”

Clint pauses, jaw dropped. Slowly he sits down opposite the Captain. “So,” he says slowly. “I have been camping. Nat came with me and Laura and the kids to go camping at the Grand Canyon two years ago. _Everyone_  knows that Stark has been camping because he’s caused three different ruckuses - ruckuses? ruckii? … ruckuses - doing so. One of those Rhodes was on. I don’t know about Sam but I’m going to bet he has. Thor mentioned camping in one of his drinking stories. Bruce _isn’t here_ , but he said that he’d spent several years camping in the jungle.”

There is silence, and Steve watches Clint with a raised eyebrow.

“And you mean to tell me,” Clint says, “That you have never been camping. In addition to the fact that the twins have never been camping, and the fact that Vision, who isn’t even a month old has _obviously_  never been camping.”

Steve looks Clint square in the eye and nods slowly. “Honestly,” he says, recapping his biro, “The first time I was ‘camping’ it was _war_. I don’t think that counts.”

Clint looks completely aghast. “Right,” he says, standing. “We are going camping. Team bonding exercise. We’re all going, I’ll bring the gear and find the place, you just get everyone to the coordinates on time.”

 

* * *

 

 **iii.**  
“Why are we here?” Sam asks, as they start climbing onto the Quinjet. They’re all carrying backpacks already - even Nat in the pilot’s seat has a rucksack hanging from the back of it.

“And why,” Tony asks, “Did we only get told to pack _one_  overnight bag. Why do we even _need_  overnight bags?”

“Clint,” Steve says, “Is taking us all camping.”

 

* * *

 

 **iv.**  
Landing is simple enough, but walking several miles down a track half grown over is less fun. Wanda’s scarlet keeps the worst of the brambles from touching the group, and Vision’s impervious skin and ability to fly makes it no trouble for him.

“I could fly ahead,” Thor offers. “If there is an easier route I might find it.”

“And ruin the fun?” Natasha calls back from up ahead. “Nah. The hike is part of the experience!”

 

* * *

 

 **v.**  
They arrive in a clearing where Clint is, alone, struggling with a large sheet of cloth and some tentpoles. Natasha sighs, throws her rucksack down and hurries over.

“Give it here,” she says, taking the poles, “Now hold the tent in place.” It takes them a few moments to work the pole through loops in the cloth, and then Natasha is designating jobs to those who have camped before and do know what they’re doing.

“Why don’t you three get water and find where the toilets are,” Clint suggests, pointing at the twins and Vision. “While Cap can set up the folding table and the awning and start setting up for us to have coffee?”

The twins and Vision head off but are still close enough to hear, “I’m not your waitress Barton,” from the Captain.

“No,” Natasha replies and they can hear the teasing smile in her voice. “You’re our waiter. Kettle and stove will be in the big box.”

 

* * *

 

 **vi.**  
“How did Clint get everything out here?” Wanda wonders while Pietro carries the covered pots of water back at breakneck speed. Beside her, walking at a more sedate pace, Vision shrugs.

“There was a requisition order for a Quinjet from him yesterday. I assume he flew everything out and then hid the jet.”

“While we all walked,” Wanda says, and it sounds just a little petulant.

Beside her, Vision tilts his head. “It was a lovely walk.”

Wanda smiles, and they round the bend to where Tony and Rhodes have devolved into an argument over who gets the air mattress.

 

* * *

 

 **vii.**  
Eventually all of the tents are set up. Clint and Nat claim one and Sam is invited in to share. They offer a space to Steve as well, but eventually the Captain opts to share with Tony and Rhodes and ensure they don’t argue over who is using too much of the _space_  on the air mattress. 

( _“They are children,” Wanda had said. “Why can they not sleep on the soil?”_ _Beside her Vision and Pietro had laughed_.)

The twins take the last tent without question, throwing their bags into one corner and setting up rollmats and sleeping bags beside each other. Vision, they know, does not _need_  to sleep, but he agrees that it is a part of the experience he does not wish to miss out on. With the twins cramming themselves into a corner and Vision’s perfect stillness, there is space enough for Thor to fit in there with them as well.

Wanda can see the odd pleased tilt of Vision’s mind to see one of those he considers parent staying nearby.

 

* * *

 

 **viii.**  
Clint cooks dinner using a grill and a portable gas hob-set, and it’s surprisingly good. Inside-out burgers, where biting into the meat causes cheese to explode outwards in melted strings, fried eggs and onions, and he’d thought to bring tubs of sliced tomatoes and cucumber and mixed salad and apple sauce (and for some reason cranberry, which only Natasha used) for them all to pile on top of the burger before eating.

“Technically,” Pietro murmurs to Wanda in Sokovian, “This isn’t kosher.”

“Technically,” Wanda murmurs back, “We lapsed long ago. But if you want to try to Believe again, do.”

“Well,” he says. “I did come back from the _dead_.”

“Then Believe,” Wanda says, and grins. “And give me your burger.”

“No!” Pietro says, tugging his food out of Wanda’s reach. “But when we get back. I should like to talk to a Rabbi. We never had our Bar and Bat Mitzvahs _.”_

 

* * *

 

 **ix.**  
Tony is the first to fall asleep, conking out entirely and sprawled over most of the air mattress in his tent. Rhodes considers going to sleep shortly afterwards, but then Tony’s snoring starts up as loud as a jackhammer. Clint, according to Natasha, can sleep through just about anything, and has gone to turn in while Rhodes sits outside a while longer before shoving Tony against the dew-damp side of the tent and claiming his portion of the air mattress.

Thor and Sam and the Captain all elect to stay up a while longer and are joined by Natasha, the Captain lighting an insect repellent candle to keep the mosquitoes off those without super-enhanced skin. 

Wanda is curling against Pietro by the fire long before it truly begins to turn dark, and by the time it is dark enough for the sparks of the fire to be bright-glowing against the shadows of the woods behind them she is dozing. Pietro strokes her hair back, picks her up and carries her - slowly, at human speeds - to the tent. It is easy to tuck himself into the sleeping bag by the cold tent cloth, and to tuck Wanda into the extra-insulated sleeping bag further in. 

“I will remind Thor to be quiet,” Vision promises. “With the bugs outside he might not notice he should be quiet.” 

 

* * *

 

 **x.**  
Pietro does not know precisely how long it is before Wanda stirs against him, woken by the loud cough-snort-snore from Stark’s tent.

“Shh,” he breathes against her hair. “It’s just Stark snoring.”

“Mmmr,” Wanda mumbles. “He’s as loud as Grigory’s truck.”

Pietro laughs softly. “Vision says it should be better outside. The insects are loud.”

 

* * *

 

 **xi.**  
It is louder outside, and not from the talk of the others. The bugs are a loud chorus, buzzing and humming and making a myriad noises. Occasionally they hear an owl hooting, but mostly it is the insects and the crackling of the fire. Those around the fire are quiet, talking on low, soft voices, and sharing a bottle of what Natasha says is “Laura’s special mix of mead and sloe gin.” The twins haven’t met Laura, but they remember Clint mentioning her and accept the bottle when it is offered.

“Are you two even old enough to drink?” Steve asks.

“In Sokovia?” Pietro asks. “Yes. I do not know about here. American laws are stupid.”

The drink gets passed around, quiet conversation is had and, in a lull, Wanda asks, “Why is it quieter out here than in the tents?”

Cap shrugs. “You get used to the insects,” Sam says. “And they drown out Tony. In the tents we’re in a row. All the sound is nearby, _especially_  Tony. Outside,” he gestures. “Insect white noise.”

Pietro zips away and zips back in a moment with his and Wanda’s sleeping bags and rollmats.

“So,” he says. “We sleep out here.”

 

* * *

 

 **xii.**  
The others get their bags and they end up star gazing around the fire, watching the sparks fly up as logs shift and following them to one constellation or another.

“Used to do this with Bucky and the Commandos,” Steve says at one point.

“Aye,” says Thor. “It is good to do with friends.”

“I never learned more than Orion, Sirius and the pole star,” Sam says. “Polaris is useful.”

“I know only a few of them!” Thor says. “Jane has taught me some, but they are so different from home.”

They are all silent for a moment at that.

 

* * *

 

 **xiii.**  
They all fall asleep eventually, Thor curled with one arm under his head as a pillow, Steve on his side with a rolled towel as a pillow. Nat looks oddly peaceful, but Vision is quite aware of the gun she has one hand wrapped around even in sleep. Sam sleeps flat on his back, and the twins are curled together, Pietro’s arms around Wanda while Wanda burrows against his chest, apparently seeking warmth.

Pietro spots Vision watching. “She is...” he pauses, tries to find the word and drops into Sokovian. “Kleptotherm,” he says. “She always likes the warmth.”

Vision nods and lights some more insect repellent candles, watching the others fall asleep and doze for hours before letting himself do the same.

 

* * *

 

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are much appreciated!


End file.
